US is top destination for Arab tourists, says Marriott

Marriott International has confirmed that 56 percent of bookings through its Arabic language website are for properties located outside of the Middle East, with the United Kingdom and the United States named as the preferred choice for Arab travellers.

The US took the lead when it comes to bookings with 20 percent of all reservations, closely followed by the UK which accounted for 16 percent.

Other destinations include key European countries such as Germany, France and Spain, said Marriott in a statement.

When it comes to Middle East travel, Saudi Arabia was named the preferred destination to visit. Booking figures were also high for Jordan.

Marriott launched its Arabic website a year ago to enhance the online reservation experience by offering real time content and booking facilities in the region's mother tongue.

Users can also access up-to-date information on Marriott International’s hotel portfolio of 4,000 properties across all brands in 78 countries worldwide.

"An indirect result of launching this kind of site is to find out where Arab travellers like to visit, and these results are testament to our global footprint. We expect to see a continued increase in the number of bookings to the US thanks to the opening of our latest property the Marriott Marquis located in Washington DC and also to the UK where we have a wide range of properties across multiple brands.”